Why does nobody talk about how hard it is to see Venus through thin clouds?

Last week I was out in my backyard around 7pm here in Tucson and kept wondering why Venus looked so blurry through my little 50mm scope. Turns out those hazy high clouds were scattering the light way more than I thought, and every guide I read just says 'wait for a clear night' without explaining what 'clear' really means for planets. I finally looked up the transparency rating on a weather site and now I check that before hauling my chair outside. Has anyone else struggled with this or am I just overthinking it?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyk101mo ago

Totally get it. It's not just you. I spent so many nights thinking my gear was busted before I learned about the transparency stuff.

tara_palmer1mo ago

Are you sure that's the right take, though? I've been in this hobby for a long time and honestly never had that issue. If your gear is working right, it should sound good out of the box without needing to "learn" anything about transparency. To me, chasing transparency just means you're always trying to fix something that may not be broken in the first place. Sometimes it's better to just trust what you're hearing and enjoy the music rather than second guessing your equipment.